Incumbent is ousted from Waynesboro School Board

November 07, 2007|By JENNIFER FITCH

WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Unofficial returns Tuesday night showed that a write-in candidate might have taken a regional Waynesboro Area School Board seat from the woman who won both the Democratic and Republican nominations in May's primary election.

Local chiropractor and registered Democrat Mindy Rouzer recently announced a last-minute write-in campaign for the open four-year term. She had friends and family stationed outside several polling places on Tuesday.

Write-in votes won't be canvassed until later this week, but unofficial result tallies showed that Jennifer Johns, who won the nominations in May, had secured only 37 percent of the vote from Borough of Waynesboro voters.

Complete, but unofficial election results show that a pair of political newcomers won North End regional seats on the school board.

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North End voters chose Firmadge Crutchfield and Ed Wilson to represent them for the coming four years.

Lee Daywalt, an area pastor appointed to the board in January, was ousted from his seat by the voters from Quincy Township, South Mountain and the Borough of Mont Alto.

Crutchfield had 573 votes, Wilson had 551, and Daywalt had 398 with all six precincts reporting.

The three Republicans were vying for the two North End seats, while other regional seats on the school board were mostly uncontested.

Crutchfield, 43, of 8770 Orlando Drive, Waynesboro, moved to the school district four years ago. The chief financial officer for an informational technology services company promised to "take a hard look" at the schools' curriculum and budget.

Wilson, 51, of 11610 South Mountain Road, Fayetteville, operates the Quincy Township Wastewater Treatment Plant. He said in previous interviews that the pending takeover of the Franklin County Career and Technology Center could leave Waynesboro with few controls at the center.

Pat Heefner and K. Marilyn Smith were uncontested for Washington Township seats on the school board.